The Girls

Hunter 

We have 3 lovely daughters who sometimes drive us crazy.  It's so hard to let them express themselves, be creative and develop good self-esteem when they are doing things that make you want to scream.  Sydney (5 3/4) shows good self control most of the time and will usually stop doing annoying things when we ask (except the other day when I had to threaten her life to get her to quit clucking like a chicken!!???).   Hunter (4 1/2) does whatever in the world she wants to do.  Thank goodness she usually wants to do nice things.  She is always happy (and figuring out new things to get into.)  She's the type that weighs the options and sometimes decides that whatever she wants to do is worth the punishment she will get for doing it.   (She is also proficient at digital cameras, cell phones and iPads.) We try not to think about her teenage years.  Maybe we will be too old to know what she's doing.  Zoe (3 1/2...the baby...period) may end up being our biggest challenge.  She has quite a strong will and knows what she wants.  She is VERY persistent if she wants something and resorts to whining or repeating herself in escalating volume.  She and Hunter together are just frightening.  They get into things you didn't know existed.  Today, Sydney was sick and the Zoe/Hunter combination got into all sorts of trouble.  Most of it involved water....on the carpet in their room....4 bath towels to clean it up....and in Zoe's bed.  They were filling their mouths up with water and spitting it in her bed.  Nice and ladylike, huh? We are proud!   We didn't realize how much Sydney helps out in the "snitching"department until she was out of commission for a day.  I realize that these little irritating things will pass and I try not to let them bother me.  They will be grown and gone in the blink of an eye.  I want to enjoy every second with them.  It's really hard when you are cleaning up an entire container of powder that they tried to sprinkle in the toilet.  I keep telling myself they are learning SOMETHING during all their escapades.